We love zoos.
We love free zoos even more.
But we did not love the parking.
The cost of parking was as much as admission would have been at a regularly priced zoo.
We were in Washington, DC, during the period between Christmas and New Year. This Christmas vacation time is becoming more and more likely a time for us to travel, especially now because I am a school bus driver and the two weeks off are always guaranteed.
This free-to-visit zoo is open year-round and has more than enough reasons to keep coming for repeated visits. At the time when we visited, there was a requirement to reserve entry. Parking is an expensive add-on but necessary since we were not only from out of state but also out of country.
We arrived right at the opening and were immediately disappointed with what we saw. So few animals we out on display. We would learn that many do not get released from their night quarters until an hour or two after we arrive. This was frustrating but as soon as the animals came out, we quickly forgot this inconvenience.
Being late December, I was impressed with the weather. Where we are from, it would not be unusual to have snow and cold. But here in D.C., the weather was mild and was good enough for almost all the animals to be outside. For a free zoo, there was quite an extensive variety of creatures to stare at. There were even a few that we had never seen in any other zoo before!
Most of the time when we visit a zoo, the animals are less than photogenic. Most animals are hiding, or have their backs to us, or inactive. Then we approached the lion enclosure where I would get one of my proudest animal photos ever.
We were wandering slowly from creature to creature. We rounded a bend and I saw the lion sitting gracefully on top of the hill in its den. I was in near panic as I moved quickly to position myself for what I hoped would be the best picture ever. Animals, usually on cue, will immediately move or do something to ruin the perfect “Kodak moment,” but not this time. The lion stayed right where I wanted and was able to take this picture.
I was happy!
Finally a perfectly framed image of a lion. Plus, it was looking right at me too.
This picture is one of the few that I have readily displayed on my computer. I have literally taken tens of thousands of pics but it is this one that I am proud of.
Getting the right animal picture takes a lot of luck and patience (which I do not have).
- A free zoo to visit.
- Parking is outrageously priced.
- Great variety of animals. Expect to spend a few hours here.
- This zoo is in a location where many of the animals can be outside for most of the year.
- Visit All The Places We Have Been for directions to this location and to see what else is near and other zoos that we have visited.
